Patch Flash: Several North Suburbs Cancel Fireworks Shows

Other communities which are cancelling or rescheduling Independence Day fireworks include Antioch, Mundelein, Wauconda, Round Lake and Wheaton, according to the Daily Herald.

Illinoisans were drinking significantly less beer per person in 2011 than in 2007, causing the state to fall from its spot as the state with the fifth most beer shipments, according to new analysis by the Washington, D.C.-based Beer Institute. Bill Olson, executive director of the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois, said multiple factors could contribute to the shift, including the 2009 state tax hike, raising fees up to 23.1 cents per gallon on top of the 58-cents-per-gallon federal tax, as well as a shift to hard liquor sales.

On a per capita basis, Illinois residents drank an average of 28.9 gallons in 2011, falling behind Wisconsin residents, who chugged 36.2 gallons of beer per capita that year.

The first of five Starbucks in the Chicago area slated to try out the coffee giant's new "Evenings" menu on Friday served up its first glasses of wine and beer. Starbucks at the Streets of Woodfield, located at 601 N Martingale Rd. in Schaumburg, on Friday became the chain's first cafe to serve alcohol outside of the Pacific Northwest.

Illinois became the first inland state, fifth in the U.S., to pass a comprehensive ban against the trade, sale or distribution of shark fins on Sunday. Gov. Pat Quinn signed the law at the Shedd Aquarium's Wild Reef, which is home to several species of sharks. Shedd Aquarium President and CEO Ted Beattie said that millions of sharks are killed annually, often just to harvest their fins.

Some 250,000 DuPage County lost power after a storm blasted through the area on Sunday. ComEd issued a news release saying it expects to restore service Wednesday to the majority of the customers still affected by Sunday’s devastating storm and scattered outages from today’s heat, with the exception of the hardest-hit areas where restoration is expected to take longer due to extensive tree-related damage.